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Last person to make a post wins

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Again as kids we would have hundreds of these buzzing around in summer and Christmas.
While the majority were green, you could also find white, black, yellow, blue and even red ones.
Their shells from which they emerge (after 7 years underground) could be found clinging to the side of tree trunks.
I remember watching one emerge from the shell and rest until its soft wings had hardened before flying off. It took about an hour.
The noise dozens of them make together could be deafening.
Now, again, they are rare.
 
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Sydney funnel web spider. Extremely dangerous and venomous.
I have two interesting stories about them.
1. Came home from a 12 hour night shift and normally I would just jump straight into bed.
But for some unknown reason that I still don't know, I pulled back all the covers on my bed. There in the middle of the bed was a big funnel web.
For the next couple of weeks I stripped the bed before I went to sleep.
2. I had a temp job working on sewer construction on the Northern beaches of Sydney. Normally a big digger would excavate the trenches to lay the pipes but we were working through peoples' back yards and couldn't get a digger in, so all trenches had to be dug by hand. We started in one yard and very quickly came upon a funnel web hole. Then another. Then dozens.
Normally there were about 8 of us on crew all digging.
However we were discovering so many funnel webs we had only 2 blokes in the trench in full overalls, boots and extra PPE while the rest stood above the trench as spotters.
In one back yard alone (in probably a 20mtr stretch) we found approx 132 funnel webs.
We did catch quite a few to take to the local hospital for them to make an anti-venom.
Creepy bastards. I hate them!!
 
WildColonial Boy said:
View attachment 175897
Sydney funnel web spider. Extremely dangerous and venomous.
I have two interesting stories about them.
1. Came home from a 12 hour night shift and normally I would just jump straight into bed.
But for some unknown reason that I still don't know, I pulled back all the covers on my bed. There in the middle of the bed was a big funnel web.
For the next couple of weeks I stripped the bed before I went to sleep.
2. I had a temp job working on sewer construction on the Northern beaches of Sydney. Normally a big digger would excavate the trenches to lay the pipes but we were working through peoples' back yards and couldn't get a digger in, so all trenches had to be dug by hand. We started in one yard and very quickly came upon a funnel web hole. Then another. Then dozens.
Normally there were about 8 of us on crew all digging.
However we were discovering so many funnel webs we had only 2 blokes in the trench in full overalls, boots and extra PPE while the rest stood above the trench as spotters.
In one back yard alone (in probably a 20mtr stretch) we found approx 132 funnel webs.
We did catch quite a few to take to the local hospital for them to make an anti-venom.
Creepy bastards. I hate them!!
Click to expand...
That... is a LOT of big spideys
 
Killer Angel said:
If we're focusing on insects, some pics taken by me

View attachment 175880
Click to expand...

The insect pictures are taken by me as well allthough beit in the Natural history museum in Rotterdam (Natuurhistorisch museum) ;)

Yours is a beauty of an Atlas moth, I suppose this was taken on a holiday? (they are not indigenous to Italy)

Grrr, Imrahil
 
Imrahil said:
The insect pictures are taken by me as well allthough beit in the Natural history museum in Rotterdam (Natuurhistorisch museum) ;)

Yours is a beauty of an Atlas moth, I suppose this was taken on a holiday? (they are not indigenous to Italy)

Grrr, Imrahil
Click to expand...

Nope, i took it in Italy (northern italy, near Swiss).
Could it be a Saturnia pyri?
 
Killer Angel said:
Nope, i took it in Italy (northern italy, near Swiss).
Could it be a Saturnia pyri?
Click to expand...

Nice to spot in real life.
It isn't an Atlas Moth by consideration... less redish touches.

Not quite Saturnia pyri either, I'll keep looking ;)
Intersting animals.

Grrr, Imrahil
 
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